COP31 opens amid climate emergency and geopolitical tensions

The UN’s annual climate summit opened in Turkey on Monday, with rising global temperatures increasing pressure for urgent action as financial constraints, energy market uncertainty and geopolitical tensions threaten international cooperation. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend COP31 at a sprawling exhibition centre in Antalya, a Mediterranean coastal city, over the next two weeks.

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries face difficult discussions on accelerating the transition to cleaner energy and securing funding to help developing countries cope with the worsening climate crisis. However, observers expect few major breakthroughs as countries grapple with an oil price shock and geopolitical tensions stemming from the US war with Iran and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The climate crisis has continued to cause widespread destruction this year. Severe heatwaves have affected Europe, wildfires have ravaged Indonesia, and a glacier collapse has triggered devastating floods in Nepal.